1. Technical Field
The present invention refers to a gambling and/or gaming apparatus comprising an input apparatus for the input of a piece of stake and/or playing-tip information in form of a number and/or a number combination and/or a number matrix, an outcome ascertainment apparatus for the ascertainment of a winning number and/or a winning number combination and/or a winning number matrix, an indication apparatus for the indication of the ascertained winning number and/or the ascertained Winning number combination and/or the ascertained winning number matrix, and a win ascertainment apparatus for the ascertainment of gambling or gaming winnings from a comparison of the ascertained winning number combination and/or the ascertained winning number combination and/or the ascertained winning number matrix with the input piece of stake and/or playing-tip information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gambling, and/or gaming machines often operate with winning numbers or winning number combinations, which are “gambled on” with a game stake so that then in dependence thereof, whether the numbers gambled on correspond with the played numbers, winnings are paid out or not. Such stakes or winnings can be represented in the form of money, but also in the form of money-like equivalents such as tokens, or also in the form of virtual stakes, for example in the form of game credits or virtual “player life”. The playing or determination of the respective winning numbers can hereby occur in many different forms, for example in the form of lottery games or roulette games, wherein determined numbers, number combinations or number fields, i.e. numbers arranged on a number field in a determined arrangement, can be gambled on and played. Alternatively or additionally bingo games or also reel games can be foreseen wherein a certain number sequence or number combinations must occur in a predetermined payline, for example in a number field or on a reel game background, in order to win.
The playing of the winning numbers or winning number combination occurs thereby classically by a random number generator, for example in the form of an electronic component of the automatic gaming machine control, which without the possibility of influence by the operator of the automatic gaming or gambling machine specifies the respective winning number for a round of game.
However, the generation of the winning numbers by such an electronic random number generator makes the corresponding automatic gaming or gambling machine appear non-transparent and therefore with a limited entertainment value as the events to be played or to be gambled on may appear too virtual or artificial for the automatic machine user and the win determination may not appear comprehensible. Therefore it has been contemplated recently to make live events such as, for example, sports competition subject of the events to be gambled or gamed on by the automatic machines. Traditionally sport competitions such as horse racing or football games can hereby be gambled on on-site. It was hereby also recommended to be able to place pieces of stakes via online systems and to transmit the results in turn online on a gambling terminal in order to display these there. Such online gambling systems, however, are subject to an increased danger of manipulation or security requirements in order to accommodate for the physical separation of gambling or gaming terminal on the one hand and the event location of the sport competition or game on the other hand. It must not only be guaranteed that the sport competition to be gambled on or the game to be gambled on itself is executed in a regular manner, but also above all that the temporal interlocking of event and transmission of the event to be gambled on and the data input for the piece of stake is organized in such a manner that a subsequent gambling with knowledge of the outcome is prevented, wherefore it is also necessary to eliminate subsequent data manipulation.
DE 10309676 A1 describes a system for the recording, transmission, and indication of data of a bowling centre that records images of the course of the game with electronic cameras and provides these for internet access. Furthermore game outcome data entered at the bowling centre are also provided for internet access so that the courses of the game and the game outcome generated at one gaming location are indicated and can be followed at a different gaming location. With opposite alignment of the system gaming or competition participants, who are at different gaming locations, can hereby play against each other. Furthermore EP 10 02 558 A2 describes an apparatus for the positioning of skittles on a skittle alley, which optically scans the skittle field via an image recording apparatus, detects fallen skittles or skittles remaining standing through image data, which are then compared with preset image data whereupon a skittle setter apparatus is selected by a control apparatus in order to re-erect the fallen skittles.
Furthermore DE 696 22 153 T2 describes an electronically controlled score of a skittle alley, which is connected with a monitoring apparatus for the scan of overturned skittles on a skittle alley and selects at the end of the skittle alley controls displays in order to indicate the game outcome, i.e. the number of overturned skittles.